The British do not need a visa to enter Italy but they will need to have a valid passport. Before incoming, please ensure that your passport is valid for the duration of your stay in Italy.
But, if you want to become a resident of this country you need to apply for an official residence permit during eight days of relocation. In Italian this permit is called permesso di soggiomo and to get one you have to go to the nearest police headquarters as early in the morning as possible and be ready to wait all the day long until you get your hands on it! It's valid for the next 5 years though so just endure the wait and get it done. In order to get this permission you have to take your passport and a handful of black and white passport sized photographs (at least 3), some bank statements proving you have a bit of money and so can support yourself financially in Italy and the birth certificates for any of your children who are under 18. If you have a job in Italy you should take your employment contract as well.
After that you have to get a certificate of residence or certificate di residenza in Italian. You can obtain this one once you've moved into your new house in Italy and you go to the town hall to get it. You should note – if you’re renting make sure there is no paragraph within the contract that stops you using your rental address for this certificate…or else you cannot obtain it and your landlord can evict you on a whim should he decide he no longer wants to rent to you!
Pets
You have to get a pat passport for your dog or cat, ensure they are completely up to date with all injections and treatments (dogs also have to be immunized against kennel cough, rabies, hepatitis and distemper and cats against rabies, typhus and feline gastroenteritis). You go to the nearest DEFRA registered vet in the UK a maximum of 30 days before you leave to Italy and you get a certificate of good health. After this you can move your pets to Italy. Remember that these rules can sometimes change and the rules for other types of pet differ.
As for your car – actually, taking your car to Italy is easy. For this you need to ensure you've got its MOT and servicing all up to date, take all your documents with you when you drive it, ask the DVLA whether you need to fill in any import documents and make sure your insurance covers you to drive in Italy. When you’re in Italy you'll finally need to get local plates. In case you're having a removal company import your car then you’ll get a customs pass called a bolletta doganale from them.
As a final point – importing your household goods into Italy – to do this you will need an Italian national insurance number which you get from the Italian consulate in the UK. After this you need to write out an inventory of everything you're taking with any receipts you have or approximations of value in Euros. Give the national insurance number which is called a codice fiscale in Italian, your inventory and a copy of your passport to your removal company and they can import your possessions into Italy tax and duty free.
Prohibited Items
- Firearms, ammunition and combat knives (including ornamental weapons) can be imported with a special permit obtained from the Police Office. They must be correctly declared on the inventory with make, type and serial number, and must not be included in the same container as the household goods
- Pornographic material
- Cigarettes
- Narcotics and drugs
- Animal skins
- Plants and vegetable products require a Phytosanitary Certificate
- Liquors
- Perfumes
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